NEED HELP NOW!!! having painc attacks and depression over this!!!!?

Question

the theory of solipsism. its the beleif that nothing exists outside ones own perception and mind. and everything you know to be real is an illusion.
are there any theories that you know of or books that you know of that proves solispsim wrong?? or ANYTHING!!! i just need to know some theories that greatly contradict it

Answer 1

The problem is it can not be proved wrong anymore than it can be proved right. I was in a similar predicament when I was going through my depression, what was real and what was not. I almost when into a phycotic fit believing that I was the only thing that was real and that all other things around me were false, that I was instead in some ward of a hospital or in a coma.

It was just before I went nuts that I realised that if this is all in my head then nothing has changed, I would just believe that things were real and they would be, since if I had been making things the way that things were before then the only one who could change things would be me. And if things weren't being made by my mind but were infact 'real' then to believe that they were real would be the only sane way to go.

If this is all in your mind, why change anything if it was good before you even considered this? And if it is not all in you mind why get worried that it is all in your mind?

I hope that I have helped you.

Answer 2

I'm pretty sure this theory is just as viable as (and along the lines of) the concept of external world skepticism. That concept is essentially the premise of the movies the Matrix, that we are in a world and are being controlled by other beings. From what I know, this is one of those things that you cannot prove scientifically whether it is right or wrong. It is just a thought experiment.
The existance of God, as well as the concept of creationism, cannot be scientifically proven. So someone decided to create the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as a parody of religion. This church believes that a ball of spaghetti created the universe. Scientifically, it is just as viable as the existance of God, yet no one believes in this latter theory, while 2/3 of all Americans believe that God had some role in creating Earth.
I don't think anyone can prove or disprove solipsism, but it is just as valid as the church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Answer 3

I happen to think this is a crock. If everything were a figment of one's perception and imagination, then we'd all be very happy creatures. I know I'd invent a better world than the one we live in. However, I do believe that we exist in two realms. There is the physical realm (of which we experience in a rational sense) and then there is another realm is which we exist yet we are not aware of. It isn't until you completely free your mind of all the 'clutter' of reality that you will be able to experience this realm. Since most of us don't possess the ability to comprehend this, we'll never really know how limitless and fascinating it would be to be able to exist in this second realm...even though I hope to someday go there.

Don't worry about stuff like this. Just enjoy this minor glitch in time that we currently occupy and hopefully, the next trip out will be a whole lot better.

Answer 4

I think this is a waste of valuable brain time but here goes. . .the proof solispsim is wrong would be my last calculus book. I never do really bad but this class was a stretch for me. There is no way that I could perceive the contents of this book without someone else having written it. It is beyond me or my capabilities. Therefore someone else would have to exist with the knowledge to write the book. The absolute proof of this theory. . .just ask my professor. And to this day I do not consider the estimated area under a curve of importance to me.

Answer 5

Figure this. Even if everything were an illusion, there would still be a past and a present, correct? You would have past memories of what you experienced and present accounts of what you are witnessing. This is input. Thus it is established that you would have input to interpret. That input consists of what you 'perceive' and is interpreted by 'your mind.'
But, what do you perceive with? Your senses. What do your senses read? The external world in sounds, photons, heat, touch, flavor, scents, etc.

These senses are the connection or "bridge" of the mind and body with the outside world. Without input (such as in a sensory deprivation chamber), there would be no tools for the mind to build from and thus, no reality--no interpretation.
If nothing were to exist outside of perception, there would be nothing to perceive and thus, nothing to feed one's mind to think.

Were someone or something giving one's mind a story or an illusion, that external 'someone' would exist outside of that subject's mind. Such a proposal is not solipcism. (I read that from your earlier question).

What thwarts solipsism is itself. Perception requires an external world for input. Believing that nothing exists external to perception is ludicrous because perception itself acknowledges the external world.

Then you could go to the practical edge and test this ordeal. If nothing were to exist beyond one's perception, there would be no sensual input. A substance needs to give off photons for your retinas to pick up traces of light to see in order to register a sight. Without that external source, you would not be reading this very text. Your mind cannot craft what it does not perceive. That would be like asking your mind to compose thoughts in a language it never learned or describe a color that the eyes cannot register.

I hope that allays your worries for now.

Answer 6

in reality you could be the center of the universe. I know this isn't true because i can sense my consciousness. But you don't know that. As far as you know you COULD be the only conscious thing in the universe and all the other people are cardboard cutouts that god made to screw with your head. I personally think thats not true but sorry, there is no way to prove it. JUST ENJOY LIFE MAN! Who cares if everything is real or not, the best answer we can come up with is that everything is real, and isn't that wonderful? I mean there doesn't even NEED TO BE A UNIVERSE! Thank GOD THERE IS!

Answer 7

I think therefore I am. If I am then your theory sucks. Maybe you should just be like that guy off the Matrix and take the blue pill. It aint worth fussing over. Except that doesn't mean much coming from me because I'm a christian so...

Answer 8

I think therefore I am! How could I think about your question and give you any type of answer if everything you perceive is an illusion...? The world itself: and time, may be an illusion, already been and gone and we exist in some form of thought only, but even if that is so, it is still a "we"..

Answer 9

If everything were in your mind, then it follows that the entire world around you is just a figment of your imagination and as such, should be completely under your control. As it is possible for things to happen to you that are completely beyond your control, it follows that there are things that exist outside of your imagination.

Answer 10

In the high country of the mind the air is a little thin,eh?
Come back down and take a few deep breaths . You need to get used to the altitude before you try any heavy lifting....
You can do it, you just need a little more time at altitude. Relax.